Five Basic Parts of Christmas Songs.

So in my Christmas music listening (which is a little lighter than normal around this time of year, I'm trying to hold off listening to it 24/7 until around Thanksgiving like normal people), it's occurred to me what I find to make a really good Christmas song. It's like a formula made up of five different parts, but it seems to never fail. Or rarely fail.

1. Bells.
Any variety of them, but sleigh bells seems to be the most popular and fun. It's unclear to me why bells add such a Christmas-y sound, but they do.

2. Children choirs.
Really, any choir would do, but children choirs also seem to be the most popular and fun. They go great with bells.

3. Strings.
Strings are very Christmas-y. I've noticed that Christmas music from artists of all genres have used strings in Christmas music. It's most common in sacred songs, to add a more reverent feel, I suppose. They also go great with bells and children choirs.

4. Snow.
Now, this isn't really per my recommendation, as much as it just seems to be a trend. If you mention snow, it automatically qualifies as a Christmas song. Case in point? My Favorite Things. Not a Christmas song, but constantly played around Christmas because of the line about snow.

5. Nostalgia.
Anything referring to Christmases of past, or remembering the good times throughout the year, nostalgia is like a ninja of Christmas music. It's always there, even if you don't always realize it. ... the ninja metaphor may be weak, but you know it's true. Christmas songs you've heard throughout your life leads to nostalgia, even if the song doesn't mention nostalgia.

This formula is very versatile and will work with any two. The only trick? Don't overdo it. But if you add the right amount of each, you'll have your very own Christmas masterpiece, even if it has nothing at all to do with Christmas!